SYNTHESIS OF DINUCLEAR IRON AND RUTHENIUM AMINOALKYLIDENE COMPLEXES AND THE MOLECULAR-STRUCTURE OF THE NOVEL CIS-[RU-2(CO)(2)(CP)(2)(MU-C(CN)N(ME)BZ)(2)] (CP=ETA-C5H5 BZ=CH(2)PH)

Repeated stepwise addition of CH3SO3CF3 and Bu(4)NCN to the diisocyanide complex [Ru-2(CO)(2)(Cp)(2)(CNBz)(2)] (Cp = eta-C5H5; Bz = CH(2)Ph) has led to the formation of the new bis-mu-aminoalkylidene complex [Ru-2(CO)(2)(Cp)(2){mu-C(CN)N(Me)Bz}(2)], which has been characterized by X-ray diffraction. The crystal contains a racemic mixture of the isomer with the same chirality at the amine nitrogens. The molecule conforms to a C-2 idealized symmetry. Selected bond distances are Ru-Ru 2.662(1), Ru-(mu-C) 2.088 (av), mu-C-N(amine) 1.479 (av) Angstrom. All the intermediate species: [Ru-2(CO)(2)(Cp)(2)(mu-CNBz){mu-CN(Me)Bz}SO3CF3, [Ru-2(CO)(2)(Cp)(2)(mu-CNBz){mu-C(CN)N(Me)Bz}] and [Ru-2(CO)(2)(Cp)(2){mu-CN(Me)Bz}{mu-C(CN)-N(Me)Bz}]SO3CF3 have been isolated and characterized spectroscopically. Attempts to extend the synthetic method to the iron diisocyanide [Fe-2(CO)(2)(Cp)(2)(CNBz)(2)] led to [Fe-2(CO)(CNBz)(Cp)(2)(mu-CO{mu-CN(Me)Bz}]SO3CF3 and [Fe-2(CO)(CNBz)-(Cp)(2)(mu-CO){mu-C(CN)N(Me)Bz}] but not to the bis(aminoalkylidene) derivative.